From hiking trails to alpine lakes, swimming holes and tasty steaks

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McCloud Falls plummet in three impressive cascades, the final Lower Falls forming a popular swimming hole at the bottom. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

McCloud Falls plummet in three impressive cascades, the final Lower Falls forming a popular swimming hole at the bottom. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

McCloud was once a bustling lumber town. The McCloud Mercantile Hotel was built in 1897 as an actual mercantile for the McCloud River Lumber Co. The Mathis family has spent the last two decades lovingly restoring and polishing the place. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

The McCloud Mercantile Hotel was built in 1897 as an actual mercantile for the McCloud River Lumber Co. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

The McCloud Mercantile Hotel, was built in 1897 as an actual mercantile for the McCloud River Lumber Co. Now a hotel, rooms such as the Railroad Room boast comfy beds and original 19th-century Douglas fir floors. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

A candy shop is just one of the boutique attractions inside the McCloud Mercantile Hotel. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

Lake Siskiyou offers plenty of splashy fun. You can rent a patio boat, kayak or stand-up paddleboard to play at this pristine mountain lake 20 minutes from McCloud. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort offers plenty of amenities, from a sandy beach and watercraft rentals to an outdoor theater and a general store — and a painted map to show the way. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

A Splash Zone floats just off the sandy beach at Lake Siskiyou. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

Rent a fishing boat, kayak or other watercraft at Lake Siskiyou. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

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Mount Shasta, snow-topped even in summer, dominates the Cascade Mountain views in Siskiyou County. Rivers and forests wind through the rugged, grandly crenellated terrain, and adorable alpine towns are tucked here and there. So when we discover that the local visitors association has dubbed this not merely the Shasta Cascade region, but the Shasta Cascade Wonderland, even we jaded types just nod.

We’re McCloud-bound on this sunny weekend, heading roughly four hours north of the Bay Area to, yes, a wonderland where the call of screens and tablets can be blissfully ignored. Cell service is spotty, for one thing — and the landscape too gorgeous to ignore.

McCloud was once a bustling lumber town and our home base, the McCloud Mercantile Hotel, was built in 1897 as an actual mercantile for the McCloud River Lumber Co. The Mathis family has spent the last two decades lovingly restoring and polishing the place. The Railroad Room, for example, boasts comfy beds, original 19th-century Douglas fir floors, old wooden ski equipment and railroad-style lanterns. And that deep vintage bathtub in the glossy, moss-green bathroom must be heaven after a long day of hiking, swimming, boating and exploring — all of which we intend to do this weekend.

McCloud sits at one end of the Great Shasta Rail Trail, which winds along the red-cinder course that once carried McCloud Railway lumber trains to the town of Burney. Now 40 miles of that trail have been converted for recreational use, wooing hikers, cyclists and equestrians — or cross-country skiers and showshoers, depending on the season.

So you can hit the trails here, or head to McCloud Falls where three cataracts cascade down the river’s length, forming a popular swimming hole at the very bottom. You can hike the four-mile path that links all the overlooks — or drive to each stage and just stroll to the overlooks — but whatever you do, don’t miss the Lower Falls. Join the picnickers and sunbathers lounging on the massive rocks above. By summer, swimmers will be happily cavorting in the pool below.

Nearby Lake Siskiyou offers plenty of splashy fun, as well. You can rent a patio boat, kayak or stand-up paddleboard to play at this pristine mountain lake 20 minutes from McCloud. The shallow waters near the lake’s sandy beach are filled with giant inflatable slides and toys for young frolickers, and the whole place has that retro summer camp vibe turned up a notch for modern (and more grown-up) tastes.

The outdoor Lake Sis Bijou Theater screens “Goonies” and similar family-friendly fare. The resort pub serves up pizza and brews. And a small general store near the cabins and campgrounds does a brisk business in sunscreen, wine and soft-serve ice cream.

Sunburned and windswept at the end of the day, we head back to McCloud, where the 2-year-old McCloud Meat Market & Tavern occupies what was once the lumber company’s actual meat market. Today, it’s a rustic-chic tavern with great steaks and burgers and an emphasis on local, seasonal, organic produce that plays out from craft cocktails to salads and sides.

Jackie Burrell is the editor and senior writer for the Mercury News and East Bay Times' Eat Drink Play section, which explores the West Coast's food, wine, cocktail and travel scene each week. An award-winning writer, Burrell joined the Bay Area News Group staff in 2000.

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